Ruminant animal mineral supplements with vitamins are fed to dairy animals to increase milk production. Mineral supplements are generally fed to ruminant animals either on a free choice basis (hand-fed or separately apportioned to each animal), in a grain mix (mixed with the grain portion of an animal's rations), or in a total mix containing both grain and roughage portions (hay and silage).
Vitamins A, D and E are the most desirable vitamins to use in ruminant animal mineral supplements. Yet, these vitamins do not mix well with minerals, grain mixes or total mixes because the particle size of vitamin-containing materials commonly is much smaller than the particle sizes of the minerals or the mixes. Before the animals ingest the mineral supplements, the fine vitamin particles tend to separate from the minerals or mixes by passing through the interstices between the much larger particles of these other substances. As a result, some animals may receive a lower than desired dosage of vitamins while other animals receive a higher than desired dosage. Animals that receive too much Vitamin A can suffer from Vitamin A toxicosis, and animals that receive too much Vitamin D can suffer from hypocalcemia.
Another problem related to the particle sizes of common vitamin sources is that the potency of Vitamins A, D and E diminishes over time. Vitamins A and D are sensitive to moisture, oxygen, trace minerals, acidic environments, light and heat. Vitamin E is sensitive to basic environments and mildly sensitive to acidic environments and trace minerals. The small particle size of vitamin sources exacerbates the potency problem because a large percentage of the surface area relative to particle volume is exposed to such harmful elements.
Still another problem is that the small particle sizes of vitamin sources inhibits quality control from a manufacturing standpoint because the presence of the vitamin particles in a mineral supplement or mix is not readily detectable by a visual inspection.
It would be desirable to develop a mineral feed supplement with vitamins in which the vitamin containing components are large enough to be seen, do not separate from the mineral mixtures, and maintain vitamin potency for longer periods of time.
Another problem of Vitamins A, D and E is that they emit an unpalatable odor. As a result, cattle do not readily consume their normal quantities of rations if the concentration of these vitamins in the animal feed is too high. A reduction in the consumption of the animal feed by dairy cattle can lead to health and production problems. Accordingly, it would be desirable to develop a mineral supplement with vitamins in which the vitamins stay evenly mixed with the minerals or feed mixes so that the proper amount of the rations will buffer the unpalatable odor of the vitamins.